But Beckett struggled. After retiring the first five Orioles, he allowed three straight singles to cut the lead to 3-1. He gave up two singles to start the third inning, then got two strikeouts, but Millar singled for one run and Scott followed with a three-run dong -- and it was 5-3 Birds.

Boston did little with Guthrie until the seventh when Casey and Pedroia singled. Baltimore went to the pen. Walker walked Flo and the bases were loaded with no one out for Manny. Johnson came in and won a 10-pitch battle, getting Ramirez to tap into a 1-2-3 DP. Lowell then flied to left to end the threat.

The Red Sox rallied again in the eighth. With one out, Ellsbury and Varitek walked. Cora's single to right scored Lyndon to make it 5-4. But with Sherrill on the mound, Casey flied to left and Pedroia grounded to first. In the ninth, Ortiz, Ramirez and Lowell went down in order.

In Florida, Tampa beat the Rivera and the Yankees 2-1 in 11 innings, to move into first place. ... We are .5 GB. ... New York is 19-21.

That's just not the Yankee way ... Let everyone else do that stuff, but not a Yankee. What I don't understand is, the kid's got the greatest mentor in the world in Mariano ... you'd think it wouldn't happen on that team.

Now, Amy, be fair: Sunday's game was a terrific contest, except for the final score. Baseball at its most unpredictable. The Sox have been on the losing end of a lot of terrific games through the years.

The latest FJM take on Joe Morgan's ESPN chat takes him to task for admitting he can't answer a question about the Dodgers because he hasn't seen the Dodgers yet this year -- because they have not been on Sunday night baseball.

Same deal with Cleveland, only saw them once, when ESPN did a game, so he can't offer an opinion.

Amazing. Joe doesn't watch any baseball except the one game he calls a week. What a job.

Charlotte: Joe: You were such a great hitter. What would you do to help Andruw Jones get back on track. He's just lost up there. And I can't believe he's really this bad.

Joe Morgan: I can't either. I can't believe he's having the problems he's having. I have not seen him play this year, as we haven't done a Dodgers' game and he's never int the highlights, so I couldn't give him any specific advice, but I am shocked at how long this slump has extended.

KT: I am officially a broken record, but: Joe Morgan, the #1 analyst on the #1 baseball network in America -- multiple-time Emmy Award Winner -- has not seen a fucking DODGER GAME this year? Not one Dodger game?I have a full-time job, and a decently complicated life, and a young child. There is not a single team in the majors I haven't watched play this year. I have watched at least one game of every major league team. You know why? I like baseball. Like checking out a Reds-Cubs game on a sleepy Saturday in late April. Like flipping over to a Giants game and imagine what it must be like to be Brian Sabean watching Barry Zito serving 80 MPH cheese to the NL. I like baseball, so I watch baseball. I just...I don't know how saying things like this doesn't get you fired. I really don't.

...

Mark (Bangor, PA): Hey Joe, have you picked out anything mechically wrong with Hafner's swing or has he lost his eye or bat speed?

Joe Morgan: I've only done the one Indians game early in the year, where it was cold and not conducive to hitting. [...]

KT: And since I only watch games I am actually announcing, and thus only see one game a week, everyone with a specific question about a specific player that happens not to play for one of the eight teams I have covered so far can go fuck themselves.

Sincerely,

the #1 Booth Analyst on the #1 Most Important Weekly Baseball Broadcast on the WorldWide Leader in Sports,

I feel lucky that I get to see as many Red Sox games as I do. Sometimes I will watch a Yankee game with Harvey if no Sox game is on and the Yankees are on TV (he watches the games on mlb.com). Sometimes a Mets game if my son-in-law is around. Sometimes whatever game is on if I have a chance. But every team? Not even remotely possible.

I'm watching on GDGD. The CLE stuff is useless, and I'm not even going to practice in this state, but I paid the money so I'm going. I just have to do the assignments and show up. (Otherwise, my license gets suspended, and I'd rather that didn't happen.)

I good friend Abby had to take NY, NJ, CT, some multi-state thing for all three states... then moved to California. Where she practices in Federal court but is still required to take the CA bar exam. She was *not* pleased.

The bar exam industry is so disgusting. The review courses are controlled by a monopoly, and the whole purpose of the exam is not to demonstrate competence but to control competition. It infuriates me. I teach people to think, and then the bar course teaches them to memorize and reduce things to rules.

I cannot believe we blew another lead. I am not going to dwell on it, but I hate it.

No,Laura, I'm just surprised to find continuing legal education chatter competing with that game thread. I don't mind it much, just think it's strange, and for the rare person like me who deals with this stuff all day,a little disapointing.